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Read What You Own 2026

832 replies

ÚlldemoShúl · 30/12/2025 13:04

This is a brand shiny new thread for those of us who want to continue reading what we own in 2026.
My aims for 2026 are:

  • At least half my reading will be from books I already own on 1st January 2026
  • I will buy less than a quarter of my reading new including kindle deals😱 and book club books
  • I will wait when prize lists are released to see if the books appear in the library within a week. I will not read full longlists unless I love the sound of each and every book on it.
  • For the first two months I will only read what I own- focusing on the older books on my kindle while allowing myself to read newer (but already owned) physical books
What are your RWYO aims for 2026?
OP posts:
TittyGajillions · 16/01/2026 08:26

I've completely resisted buying any Kindle daily deals but can't resist having a look everyday!

CinnamonSweet73 · 16/01/2026 08:39

Me too @TittyGajillions can't resist looking but doing ok so far on not actually buying!
Finished my 4th RWYO, Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney, a story of Arctic explorers at the turn of the century. It was ok, a bit too long.

AliasGrape · 16/01/2026 10:21

Oh dear, I've had another slip up and bought John & Paul: A love story in songs in the kindle deal yesterday - the 50 booker thread alerted me and I couldn't help myself!

That's 2 purchases now, what with wedding people. And I'm torn between wanting to crack on with reading what I owned already, but also knowing if I don't get to new purchases soon and whilst I remember why I wanted to buy them in the first place, then I end up never getting round to them.

I've started 2 new RWYOs - Step by Step Simon Reeve in paperback, which was a Christmas present from an aunt who knows I quite fancy him a few years back. And People Person by Candice Carty-Williams on Kindle. Making a deal with myself that if I get those 2 finished in Jan, that's 7 RWYO down, and I can read the newer 2.

Also listening to Braiding Sweetgrass on audible but only very sporadically.

SheilaFentiman · 16/01/2026 10:35

@AliasGrape I do pick and mix with RWYO and new - I want to read a new purchase whilst I’m excited (otherwise it’ll just be on next year’s RWYO pile!)

This thread - and keeping an eye on my TBR - is helping me do more RWYO, but I would enjoy it less if I felt obliged to only do that.

MamaNewtNewt · 16/01/2026 11:30

The John and Paul book was a bold for me last year so I think that was an absolutely required purchase. I don’t think it’s feasible for me to not buy any new books but this thread is making me be more considered. Like most of you I also look most days but am resisting the “hmm I’ll give that a go” purchases and will just buy the “yes! Finally! I’ve been waiting for this one and really really want to read it” books.

Raven08 · 16/01/2026 13:06

Well.
I've ordered 2 new books 😬🫣🤣
The house of the wolf by tony Robinson and a book on early British history by dan Jones.
I buy a lot from awesomebooks.com as they donate books for every book bought 😊
Thats my excuse, anyway 😊🫣

CutFlowers · 16/01/2026 17:06

Have just finished my first RWYO of the year - Anna Karenina. Enjoyed it but it was rather sad. Moving on to the Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams next.

MamaNewtNewt · 16/01/2026 17:07

Well done - Anna Karenina is HUGE!

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 16/01/2026 20:19

Finished The Wedding People by Alison Espach, don’t have many left in my Jan TBR now

ÚlldemoShúl · 16/01/2026 20:36

DNFed Who’s that Girl by Mhairi McFarlane

OP posts:
MamaNewtNewt · 16/01/2026 22:49

Finished my 7th RWYO The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths which is The 7th Dr Ruth Galloway book.

MamaNewtNewt · 17/01/2026 00:01

And finished my 8th RWYO The Witch’s Egg by Donya Todd, which was a graphic novel, so a quick read thankfully as I hated it.

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 17/01/2026 11:49

Highly recommend The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

SilverShadowNight · 17/01/2026 11:58

Finished Death of a Witch by MC Beaton, one of the Hamish Macbeth series, which I bought in 2012. An okay but not great easy read, with the usual characters and storyline.

RightOnTheEdge · 17/01/2026 15:49

Hi, can I join in please?
I really want to finally get through some of my tbr books.

I've looked on Kindle and I've got 25 unread, which is much better than I actually thought. I'm too scared to count my physical books I've got a bookshelf in the living room full of them and two bedside cabinets full of dusty books I've been meaning to read for years 🙈

I want to try and not buy any new books unless it's one I really want like a new one from one of my favourite authors or the next in a series. I will try to avoid browsing charity shop book shelves until I have a good chunk of my tbr done.

I am reading Quicksilver at the moment which I bought last year and then after that I'm going to go back and finish all the books I started reading then abandoned when I went through a stage when I was struggling to sit down and concentrate.

CutFlowers · 17/01/2026 18:20

Two more RWYO - . Dear Ijeawele by Chimamanda Ngozi Adidche and Recitatif by Toni Morrison. Slightly cheating as one is really an essay and one a short story but both interesting reads and counted as books by my kindle!

MamaNewtNewt · 17/01/2026 18:32

Welcome @RightOnTheEdge

The Wolf of Wall Street is a DNF. I enjoyed the film, but just can’t get past the sleazy mistreatment of women in the book.

Raven08 · 17/01/2026 18:43

I'm almost halfway into The Sittaford Mystery....I think I might have read this before 🤔
Amazing to think it was written 100 years ago

SheilaFentiman · 17/01/2026 19:23

I’m reading Last Man Standing which I bought in 2019. Going ok but it’s a bit of a tome!

MamaNewtNewt · 17/01/2026 20:04

Another DNF for me - Going To Sea In A Sieve by Danny Baker I quite liked the TV series it was based on but can’t be bothered with the book.

SilverShadowNight · 17/01/2026 21:55

Another RWYO Death Rocks by LJ Ross. A bit far fetched and cliched, but there is some humour in the team dynamics. I keep thinking I won’t read the next one, then I do.

Raven08 · 17/01/2026 22:11

SilverShadowNight · 17/01/2026 21:55

Another RWYO Death Rocks by LJ Ross. A bit far fetched and cliched, but there is some humour in the team dynamics. I keep thinking I won’t read the next one, then I do.

I feel exactly the same every time I read one of hers!

TittyGajillions · 18/01/2026 10:31

Dnfed Forever, Interrupted, too depressing and soap opera dramatic for my tastes.

ÚlldemoShúl · 18/01/2026 12:41

I’m still sticking to RWYO in my reading but I was in an independent bookshop yesterday and always feel bad to leave without buying something (that’s my excuse anyway!) I bought Heart the Lover by Lily King and A Family Matter by Clare Lynch.

OP posts:
WinterFrogs · 18/01/2026 12:50

ÚlldemoShúl · 18/01/2026 12:41

I’m still sticking to RWYO in my reading but I was in an independent bookshop yesterday and always feel bad to leave without buying something (that’s my excuse anyway!) I bought Heart the Lover by Lily King and A Family Matter by Clare Lynch.

And now you own them so you'll have to read them 😎 I applaud your reasoning!

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